Colleen Kwok’s The Stars The Sun The Moon was presented with the IDP (In Development Project) Award for a Hong Kong project at the close of this year’s Hong Kong Asia Film Financing Forum (HAF, March 14-16), while Not Found, from mainland Chinese filmmaker Huang Ningwei, took the IDP Award for a non-Hong Kong project.
The WIP (Works In Progress) Award went to Hong Kong fantasy drama Silent Ghosts, directed by Yang Heng and produced by Yan Ni. The Taipei Film Commission Award was presented to Hong Kong-Taiwan co-production I Might Write About Us, to be directed by Hong Kong’s Jun Li and produced by Peter Yam and Stefano Centini.
Don’t Cry, Butterfly, from Vietnamese filmmaker Duong Dieu Linh, won the Wouter Barendrecht Award, as well as the Udine Focus Asia Award (see full list of award winners below).
This year’s HAF facilitated more than 900 private meetings, almost double the number since the event first went virtual in 2020, due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Albert Lee, executive director of Hong Kong International Film Festival Society (HKIFFS), said the overwhelming support from the filmmaking community and sponsors was gratifying, despite challenges amid the pandemic.
Organised by HKIFF Industry, HAF is supported by Create Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Film Development Council (HKFDC) and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC). Lee thanked the event’s backers, as well as all the participating filmmakers and sponsors. “Your continuous involvement is crucial in motivating us to press on regardless,” he said.
HAF took place alongside the on-going Filmart contents market, which featured an Open Pitch session for the WIP projects, as well as the Operation Greenlight pitch event, co-organised by HKIFFS, Create Hong Kong and HKFDC.
Operation Greenlight, now in its seventh edition, showcased six projects selected from Create Hong Kong and HKFDC’s First Feature Film Initiative (FFFI), all of which pair new directors with experienced producers such as Soi Cheang, Lorraine Ho and Chan Hing-kai.
HAF 2022 AWARD WINNERS:
IDP Award for a Hong Kong project
The Stars The Sun The Moon (Hong Kong)
Dir: Colleen Kwok
Prods: Stephen Lam, Sandy Yip
IDP Award for a non-Hong Kong project
Not Found (China)
Dir: Huang Ningwei
Prod: Liu Jiayin
WIP Award
Silent Ghosts (Hong Kong)
Dir: Yang Heng
Prod: Yan Ni
Taipei Film Commission Award
I Might Write About Us (Hong Kong-Taiwan)
Dir: Jun Li
Prods: Peter Yam, Stefano Centini
Wouter Barendrecht Award
Don’t Cry, Butterfly (Vietnam)
Dir: Duong Dieu Linh
Prods: Tan Si En, Tran Thi Bich Ngoc
Network of Asian Fantastic Films (NAFF) Award
The Cursed Land (Thailand)
Dirs: Panu Aree, Kong Rithdee
Prod: Nonzee Nimibutr
Udine Focus Asia Award
Don’t Cry, Butterfly (Vietnam)
Dir: Duong Dieu Linh
Prods: Tan Si En, Tran Thi Bich Ngoc
White Light Post-Production Award
Cubs (Indonesia)
Dir: Riri Riza
Prod: Mira Lesmana
A Room Of His Own (Israel-Italy)
Dir: Matan Yair
Prod: Maya Fischer
HAF Goes to Cannes Programme
A Room Of His Own (Israel, Italy) – dir: Matan Yair, prod: Maya Fischer
Silent Ghosts (Hong Kong) – dir: Yang Heng, prod: Yan Ni
The Spark (India) – dir: Rajesh S. Jala, prods: Rajesh S. Jala, Prayas Deepti
The Sunny Side Of The Street (Hong Kong) – dir: Lau Kok Rui, prods: Vinod Sekhar, Winnie Tsang, Soi Cheang, Peter Yam
The Vessel’s Isle (China) – dir: Wang Di, prod: Xu Ruijin